Premier League clubs generally take great pains to keep their new kits a secret, aiming to avoid the flurry of leaked photos and fan debate before the club’s carefully curated ads, films, photoshoots and social campaigns have seen the light of day.So, having a major sports star step out in an unreleased strip in front of a horde of journalists is hardly the way to keep things discreet.When one of the world’s best golfers, Justin Rose, arrived at the PGA Championship in Pennsylvania in what was immediately rumoured to be Chelsea’s 2026-27 home kit more than a fortnight before the club unveiled it, there was understandable confusion.“There was so much intrigue,” said Scott Fenton, brand director at Chelsea. “‘Is this the real shirt? Is it fake? Like, what is this shirt?’”Over the following days, the same shirt was worn by various celebrities around the world: American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, Brazilian musician MC Hariel as he performed in Sao Paulo, and — most surreal of all — Madonna, dancing on a desk in a livestream with the British influencer known as Gymskin.By the time the kit was unveiled on June 2, the element of surprise had gone. But the club that had, effectively, leaked it themselves.